Green Machine head coach, Alexander Cox, has today announced his World Cup squad of 20 players that will travel to Bhubaneswar in India for the showpiece event. The team will be the first Irish men’s hockey team to compete at a World Cup since 1990.

Speaking at the announcement, Cox said “I am proud to announce our World Cup squad. The camps we had in Ireland and overseas were very good and allowed me to see the potential of all the players in our training panel. The 20 players selected give me the most options in defense, midfield and attack. We are very much looking forward to the upcoming tournament in Valencia which will be our first test as a team as we look towards the World Cup”

Today also marked the unveiling of Turkish Airlines as the new primary sponsor of the senior men’s team, speaking about the announcement Hockey Ireland CEO Jerome Pels said “We are pleased to reveal Turkish Airlines as the new primary sponsor of the Green Machine. Hockey is a global sport and we’re delighted to partner with such an international brand like Turkish Airlines. They have a long history of sponsorship in sport and we’re very excited about this partnership”

Hasan Mutlu, Turkish Airlines General Manager for Ireland, commented “We are delighted to be announcing Turkish Airlines as the sponsorship partner for Ireland’s men’s hockey team.This is a momentous day for both organisations as we cement our relationship we can clearly see the immense potential for this team on the international stage. We are delighted to support them in their every success as the men’s hockey World Cup in India comes closer into view”.

Ireland, currently ranked 10th in the world, sit in Pool B with world number 1 Australia, number 7 England and number 17 China. The world number 1 always prove a potent threat and they picked up the Champions Trophy title during the summer as well a victory the last time Ireland faced them, but both sides have changed since then with former coach Fulton opting for a young squad at that Azlan Shah Cup while the Kookaburra’s will be without the experience of Mark Knowles, following his retirement from international hockey.

England are a more familiar opponent but could also offer some surprises with Danny Kerry taking the helm following the conclusion of the Women’s World Cup in London. The two teams will come face to face prior to the Odisha World Cup getting underway as they meet in Valencia for a 4 Nations Tournament with Spain and the Netherlands in the coming days.

The Green Machine and China only seem to cross paths at major tournaments every few years, and the last time was at World League in Belgium 2015 on route to the Olympics. No fewer than 11 of the current squad were involved in that 6-0 victory over China and 10 of the squad played a part in the 2013 4-0 victory so the men in green have a plethora of experience to call upon.

The winners of each pool progress straight through to the quarterfinal and the bottom placed team goes home. The second placed team in Pool B will play off against the third placed team in Pool A, and the third placed team in Pool B will play against the second placed team in Pool A.

World Cup Panel

David Harte

Kampong HC

Goal Keeper

David Fitzgerald

Monkstown HC

Goal Keeper

Jonathan Bell

Lisnagarvey HC

Defender

Paul Gleghorne

HTC Grefeld

Defender

Luke Madeley

Three Rock Rovers HC

Defender

Conor Harte

Racing Club HC

Defender

Stuart Loughrey

Reading HC

Defender

Matthew Bell

HTC Crefeld

Defender

Lee Cole

Oree HC

Defender

Shane O’Donoghue

KHC Dragons

Midfield

Michael Robson

HTC Crefeld

Midfield

Kirk Shimmins

KHC Dragons

Midfield

Sean Murray

HC Rotterdam

Midfield

Chris Cargo

H & W HC

Midfield

Daragh Walsh

Three Rock Rovers HC

Midfield

Matthew Nelson

Lisnagarvey HC

Forward

Mitch Darling

Three Rock Rovers HC

Forward

Eugene Magee

Banbridge HC

Forward

Alan Sothern

Gantoise Gent HC

Forward

Jeremy Duncan

Heracles HC

Forward

NB. The final selection regarding the 18 playing squad members and 2 reserves will be made closer to the tournament.